Texas A&M tabs UH's Rhoades as candidate for AD position

Updated 10:02 pm, Thursday, May 10, 2012

Photo: Nick De La Torre, Houston Chronicle

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University of Houston athletic director Mack Rhoades explains why he wanted to change he UH logo during a press conference, Tuesday, April 10, 2012, in Houston. The new UH logo will not have navy blue and an embossed look to the block letters.

University of Houston athletic director Mack Rhoades explains why he wanted to change he UH logo during a press conference, Tuesday, April 10, 2012, in Houston. The new UH logo will not have navy blue and an

SMILEY N. POOL: CHRONICLE A HECTIC TIME: UH athletic director Mack Rhoades, left, meeting ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, has had an eventful year, including the school's hosting College GameDay for the first time. The months ahead promise to be busy as well.

SMILEY N. POOL: CHRONICLE A HECTIC TIME: UH athletic director Mack Rhoades, left, meeting ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, has had an eventful year, including the school's hosting College GameDay for the first time. The

University of Houston Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades speaks to the media about the interim head coach Tony Levine in the Carl Lewis Auditorium of the UH Athletics Alumni Center Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011, in Houston. Former Houston Cougars head coach Kevin Sumlin left to become the head coach at Texas A&M. ( Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle )

University of Houston Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades speaks to the media about the interim head coach Tony Levine in the Carl Lewis Auditorium of the UH Athletics Alumni Center Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011, in

COLLEGE STATION — Houston athletic director Mack Rhoades is a candidate to replace Bill Byrne as Texas A&M’s athletic director, a person with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

Rhoades, 46, has spent nearly three years at UH and spent the prior three years as Akron’s athletic director. He also was at Texas-El Paso for seven years in a variety of roles as an assistant athletic director. The Aggies hired new football coach Kevin Sumlin from UH in December.

A&M on Wednesday announced an 11-member search committee, co-chaired by A&M regent Jim Wilson and A&M vice president for marketing and communications Jason Cook, and said the firm of Parker Executive Search would help in tabbing Byrne’s replacement. Byrne retired Tuesday with more than a year remaining on his contract.

The Aggies are entering the Southeastern Conference on July 1, a shift from the Big 12 spearheaded by A&M president R. Bowen Loftin and Wilson. Byrne wasn’t involved in the move to the new league from the Big 12, which he helped found while at Nebraska in the early 1990s.